Indicator for ball-rolling games



Aug. 22, 1939. a. s. MMDOUGALL 2,170,555

INDICATOR FOR BALL-ROLLING GAMES Filed June 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE Bon G. MacDougall, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 18,1938, Serial No. 214,525

7 Claims.

The invention relates to an improved ball rolling game provided for amusement purposes. More particularly the game is of that type having a back board extension serving to display and house certain releasable target indicators or objectives correlated with obstacle switches on the game table so that a ball rolling on the table and striking one of these obstacle switches will close a circuit to release a corresponding target indicator for dropping movement to indicate a hit for score purposes. The game is such that a shooting gallery effect is added to a pin ball type of game for the edification and amusement of the player.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved ball rolling game.

Another object is to provide such a game housed in a cabinet provided with an extension for displaying and housing suitable indicator targets, which are releasable and dropped from view to score hits when corresponding switches on the ball rolling table are closed by a ball.

Still another object is to provide a novel shooting gallery auxiliary for a ball rolling game.

Another object is to provide such game mechanism which is simple and foolproof in operation.

Another object is to provide a simple indicator target resetting mechanism.

Other important objects will be apparent to those skilled in this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briefly, these objects may be achieved in a pin ball type of game having a horizontal cabinet, carrying a ball rolling table sloped slightly from the horizontal and carrying in scattered relationship thereon, a plurality of spring or other bumper elements to be hit by a rolling ball. These elements constitute one side of a switch which is deflected by the ball hitting same to close a respective circuit momentarily. In these circuits, so closed, are respective electromagnetic devices operative to release trips for causing indicator target elements carried in an upright display housing extension of the cabinet, to be dropped from view to indicate hits. In other words, each obstacle on the ball rolling table corresponds with and controls an indicator target to operate same. By means of the usual coin release slide that releases the ball rolling game for play, means is operated to restore or re-set the dropped indicator targets to their starting, or raised display positions. So much will sufiice in presenting a general understanding of the improved game structure, a practicable example of which is shown by way of illustration, in the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the ball rolling game, the improved upright extension being shown in horizontal section, taken along the line l-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the game;

Figure 3 is a side sectional View of the game taken along the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

Figure 4 is an enlarged, side view partly in section to illustrate the details of the electromagnetic indicator target releaser mechanism.

The game comprises the usual, rectangular cab inet I0 having a front wall II, the rear end of said cabinet having an upstanding extension l2. The cabinet carries a board or table l3 sloped slightly from the horizontal in the well known manner so that a free ball projected over the table to its high end will, when losing the force that projected it, gravitate down the board to the low end thereof. Adjacent the high end of the table I3 is an upright wall, or plate M, which carries a horizontal plate of glass with the walls of the cabinet ID to cover the game table and also a vertical plate of glass to form a window IS in the front face of the upright extension l2 to expose the interior of the latter for a purpose to appear.

The front Wall ll carries a hand operated ball projector of the plunger type, I 1, so that when a ball is lodged thereagainst it may be projected to the high end of the table, through a side passageway l8 and around the edge of an arch piece 19 in the usual manner to engage a resilient member 20 for rebound purposes. When the ball, loses its momentum it then gravitates down the table to the low end thereof, adjacent the front Wall II, at which end the table l3 carries a raised part 2| providing sloping edges 22 to guide a ball, or balls, into a centrally positioned slot 23 formed in the part 2| and also through the table I3. Thus, balls eventually leave the board or table 13 by falling through same to a position therebelow from whence in any well known manner they can be replaced one at a time to a position in the passage IS to be acted upon by the plunger projector ll.

Located on the table I 3 in scattered relation are suitable target or obstacle members to be impinged by a rolling ball, said members herein, for the sake of illustration, being upright coil springs 24, each having a pendant leg 25 passed normally centrally into a ferrule 26 embedded in the table Hi, there being such member 26 for each spring leg 25. Each spring with its leg 25 and each ferrule 25, is made of conductor material and in circuit by suitable wires 21 with a source of energy, such as the battery 23 which may be carried in the cabinet it], as shown. When a ball bumps a spring 25, the leg 25 thereof will momentarily be deflected and engage the complementary ferrule 25 and for an instant close the circuit 21 for a purpose presently to appear. Each bumper spring 24 will thus serve to close a respective circuit when engaged by a ball. One ball rolling down the table may, of course, engage a number of springs 24 and thus serve to close a like number of these circuits, since each bumper will be disposed in a similar circuit.

The front wall II also carries the usual coin released slide 29 which is used when releasing the game for play as is common in this art, said slide being slidably carried. in the wall I l with its inner end engaging one leg of a bell crank lever 39 pivotally carried on a pin 3| from the under side of the table. The bell crank has its other leg pivotally connected to a short link 32, in turn pivotally connected to another short link 33 which is pivoted to a pin 35 on the under side of the table i3. Intermediate its ends, the link 35 has connected to it, a transverse link 36 extending under the table 13 as shown in Figure 1, said link 38 having a short link 31 pivoted to it, the latter by means of a pin 38 being pivotally connected to a long lengthwise running pushpull bar 39 carried from under the table 13 by suitable guide rollers 49, as shown. The free end of the bar 39 extends into the cabinet extension 52 for a purpose presently to appear.

Secured at the rear face of the cross upright plate M is a somewhat higher upright plate 6|, the top edge of which carries across sill G2. Opposite ends of said sill 42 carry brackets 43 and pivotally connected thereto by pins 44 are the legs of a U-shaped bail member 45, said bail extending across the width of the extension l2, as shown. One leg of the bail 45 has rigidly fastened thereto a depending lever arm 46 which at its lower end carries a transverse extension M in a position to be abutted by the free end of the bar 35, as shown in Figure 3. The bail 45 of its own weight normally hangs in the position shown in Figure 3 with the arm 46 engaging the corner between the plate M and table [3.

The side walls of the extension I2 as seen in Figure l carry alined pairs of corner brackets 58 and 59 serving respectively to carry transverse vertical wall members 55 and these wall members being disposed one behind the other with the same furthermore offset so that the rear wall 59 is higher. Rearward of these walls, the sides of the extension l2 carry end brackets 52 between which brackets is carried a transverse channel support 53 in which is suitably carried in transverse spaced relation ten electromagnets 54, each said electromagnet being in a circuit with the battery by wires such as 2?, and also with a respective obstacle bumper contact switch 24 in a manner readily understandable.

Each electromagnet has a longitudinally disposed core as shown in Figure 4 and the lower portion of the channel 53 adjacent each core 55 is formed with a vertical hole 55 in which is loosely pivoted an upright armature 5i pulled to normal released position by means of a spring as shown. The upper end of each armature 51 is formed with a U-shaped hooked end 59 passed through a slot 69 in a respective, substantially horizontally disposed lever 8|, extending forwardly, and having its rear end loosely passed through and fulcrumed in a slot 52 in the Vertical bight portion of the channel 53.

In the present example, there are ten of these electromagnet units and ten such levers Bl, five being long and five being short, so that the five long ones each extend forwardly with each pro- 'vided with a front, short, upturned, bent end 63 respectively carrying an animal or like figure, such as the rabbits 54, shown. In a similar manner, the five short levers 6| each have their front ends bent up as at 65 to carry distinguishing figures such, for example, as the ducks 66 shown by way of illustration. The wall 5| serves as a backfield for the row of five rabbit figures 65 and similarly the wall 59 serves as a backfield for the five duck figures 55 shown. These figures and backfield walls are visible through the window 16 in an obvious manner. The long levers 65 extend forwardly under the wall 5! as can be seen in Figure 3. Each figure 64 and 63 serve as indicators and may, if desired, be disposed on a circular disk as indicated in Figure 2 to simulate a target as is common in target shooting games. This completes the description of the details of the improved game construction.

In playing the game a ball is projected by the shooter ll, through passage l8 onto the high end of the table. Eventually, as explained heretofore, the ball rolls by gravity down the table l3 to engage the bumpers and close one or more of the switches 25, 26, thereby energizing a corresponding electromagnet 54 to attract and move a corresponding armature 51 from the full line position shown in Figures 3 and 4 to the dotted line position shown, whereupon the associated lever 6| is released from the locking action of the part 59. Thereupon, said lever by its weight, drops. The long levers 6! drop until their ends 63 hit the bight of the bail 45, as shown in dotted lines. In this position the figure 64 disappears from View through'the window I 6 and behind and below the cross sill 42; In the same way the shorter levers 6| also may be dropped to drop their figures 66 from View behind the wall 5|, said levers also coming to rest on the bail 45.

In resetting the game for play the slide 29 is operated, the same when pushed inwardly, operating the bell crank 39 and connections described to push the bar 39 against the part 41 on lever 46. This moves the lever 46 rearwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3 and consequently the bail 45 is swung upwardly to engage and move upwardly all of the fallen target carrying levers 65 to a raised position where the latches 59 will automatically be effective to lock these levers releasably in target exposing or viewing position in an obvious manner.

The game mechanism above described achieves all of the desirable objects heretofore recited.

It is the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example herein selected for the sake of the disclosure, which do not in material respects constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:-

1. For a ball rolling game having a cabinet carrying a table over which balls are rollable to engage and close switches associated therewith in an electrical circuit, said cabinet having a housing part formed with a window, indicators carried in the housing and arranged to correspond respectively with the switches and mounted for movement from a display position behind the window to another position out of view, means releasably holding said indicators individually in display positions, means for carrying said indicators in a plurality of rows offset from one another, and means included in the circuit and operable when the switches are closed for respectively releasing the holding means and causing corresponding indicators to be moved from display positions.

2. For a ball rolling game having a ball rolling surface and ball closed switches, an indicator means comprising an upright housing having a window, a support in the housing carrying a plurality of electromagnetic devices respectively in circuit with the switches and energizable when the switches are closed, a series of levers carried by the support with one, disposed adjacent each electromagnetic device, each lever carrying an indicator normally disposed in a viewing position behind the window, and an armature element for each device and comprising a latch having a portion to cooperate with and normally hold the associated lever latched with the indicator in normal viewing position, said armature elements when their associated devices are energized serving to free the associated lever for movement to carry the indicator thereon from normal viewing position at the window.

3. For a ball rolling game having a ball rolling surface and ball closed switches, an indicator means comprising an upright housing having a window, a support in the housing carrying a plurality of electromagnetic devices respectively in circuit with the switches and energizable when the switches are closed, a series of levers carried by the support with one disposed adjacent each electromagnetic device, each lever disposed normally horizontally and having an angular bent end carrying an indicator normally disposed in a viewing position behind the window, and an armature element for each device and comprising a latch portion to cooperate with and normally hold the associated lever latched with the indicator in normal viewing position, said armature elements when their associated devices are energized serving to free the associated lever for dropping movement to carry the indicator thereon from normal viewing position at the window to a non-viewing position.

4. For a ball rolling game having a ball rolling surface and ball closed switches, an indicator means comprising an upright housing having a window, a support in the housing carrying a plurality of electromagnetic devices respectively in circuit with the switches and energizable when the switches are closed, a series of levers carried by the support with one disposed adjacent each electromagnetic device, each lever carrying an indicator normally disposed in a viewing position behind the window, an armature element for each device and comprising a latch having a portion to cooperate with and normally hold the associated lever latched with the indicator in normal viewing position, said armature elements when their associated devices are energized serving to free 'the associated lever for dropping movement by gravity to a non-viewing position, and means comprising a resetting means serving to limit the extent of dropping movement of the levers.

5. For a ball rolling game having a ball rolling surface and ball closed switches, an indicator means comprising an upright housing having a window, a support in the housing carrying a plurality of electromagnetic devices respectively in circuit with the switches and energizable when the switches are closed, a series of levers carried by the support with one disposed adjacent each electromagnetic device, each lever carrying an indicator normally disposed in a viewing position behind the window, an armature element for each device and comprising a latch having a portion to cooperate with and normally hold the associated lever latched with the indicator in normal,

viewing position, said armature elements when their associated devices are energized serving to free the associated lever for dropping movement by gravity to a non-viewing position, and means comprising a resetting means serving to limit the extent of dropping movement of the levers, said resetting means comprising a manually movable bail hingedly carried in the housing in a manner to have its bight portion engageable by the levers when the latter are in their dropped positions.

6. For a ball rolling game having a ball rolling surface and ball closed switches, an indicator means comprising an upright housing having a window, a support in the housing carrying a plurality of electromagnetic devices respectively in circuit with the switches and energizable when the switches are closed, a series of levers carried by the support with one disposed adjacent each electromagnetic device, certain levers being shorter than the others, said levers at one end carrying indicators with the short levers carrying the indicators at a different level than the long levers, a back drop wall between the two sets of high and low indicators, said indicators normally being in a viewing position either behind the window or back drop wall, and an armature element for each device and comprising a latch having a portion normally to hold an associated lever latched with its indicator in the normal viewing position, said armature elements when their associated devices are energized serving to free the associated lever for dropping movement by gravity to carry the indicator thereon to a non-viewing position.

'7. For a ball rolling game having a ball rolling surface and ball closed switches, an indicator means comprising an upright housing having a window, a support in the housing carrying a plurality of electromagnetic devices respectively in circuit with the switches and energizable when the switches are closed, a series of levers carried by the support with one disposed adjacent each electromagnetic device, certain levers being shorter than the others, said levers at one end 1 carrying indicators with the short levers carrying the indicators at a different level than the long levers, a back drop wall between the two sets of high and low indicators, said indicators normally being in a viewing position either behind the window or back drop wall, and an armature element for each device and comprising a latch having a portion normally to hold an associated lever latched with its indicator in the normal viewing position, said armature elements when their associated devices are energized serving to free the associated lever for dropping movement by gravity to carry the indicator thereon to a non-viewing position, said long and short levers being alternately disposed to stagger the indicators when they are disposed in the normal viewing positions.

BON G. MAcDOUGALL. 

